Rogue Squadron - Deadman's Harpoon

Welcome to Rogue Squadron, pilot! In this series, we will be looking at different squadrons you can fly in Fantasy Flight Games X-Wing miniatures game. We give you the squad, what expansion pack all of the upgrades come from and then give you the low down on how best to fly it. Strap in and get ready to fly.

All Wings Report In

Kihraxz “Captain Jostero” (Guns for Hire Expansion) (28 pts) (PS 4)

Once per round, after an enemy ship that is not defending against an attack suffers damage or critical damage, you may perform an attack against that ship.

Elite Pilot Talent- Crack Shot (Kihraxz/Imperial Veterans/Hound’s Tooth Expansion): When attacking a ship inside your firing arc, at the start of the “Compare Results” step, you may discard this card to cancel 1 of the defender’s Evade results.
Missile- Harpoon Missile (Guns for Hire Expansion): Attack (target lock, 4, Range 2-3): Spend your target lock and discard this card to perform this attack. If this attack hits, each other ship at Range 1 of the defender suffers 1 damage.
Illicit- Inertial Dampeners (IG-2000/StarViper Expansion): When you reveal your maneuver, you may discard this card to instead perform a white (0 ) maneuver. Then receive 1 stress token.
Title- Vaksai (Guns for Hire Expansion): The squad point cost of each of your equipped upgrades is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0). You may equip up to 3 different Modification upgrades
Modification- Guidance Chips (Inquisitor’s TIE/Punishing One Expansion): Once per round, when attacking with a Torpedo or Missile secondary weapon, you may change 1 die result to a Hit result (or a Crit result if your primary weapon value is “3” or higher).
Modification- Munitions Failsafe (Z-95 Expansion): When attacking with a secondary weapon that instructs you to discard it to perform the attack, do not discard it unless the attack hits.

4x Z-95 “Binayre Pirate” (Most Wanted Expansion) (18 pts) (PS 1)

None

Missile- Harpoon Missile (Guns for Hire Expansion): Attack (target lock, 4, Range 2-3): Discard this card to perform this attack. If this attack hits, after the attack resolves, assign the “Harpooned!” Condition to the defender.
- Harpooned! When you are hit by an attack, if there is at least 1 uncanceled Crit result, each other ship at Range 1 suffers 1 damage. Then discard this card and receive 1 facedown Damage card. When you are destroyed, each ship at Range 1 suffers 1 damage. Action: Discard this card. Then roll 1 attack die. On a Hit or Crit result, suffer 1 damage.
Illicit- Deadman’s Switch (IG-2000 Expansion): When you are destroyed, each ship at Range 1 suffers 1 damage.
Modification- Guidance Chips (Inquisitor’s TIE/Punishing One Expansion): Once per round, when attacking with a Torpedo or Missile secondary weapon, you may change 1 die result to a Hit result (or a Crit result if your primary weapon value is “3” or higher).

Lock S-Foils in Attack Position

Deadman’s Switch Z-95’s have always been a wacky group to fly. With the release of Harpoon Missiles, Deadman Z’s suddenly become even more hilarious. These work on two fronts. First, they are the perfect protection from any opponents who have Harpoon missiles. If your Z-95 gets harpooned then suddenly it will deal two damage when it blows up. Your opponent won’t want to do that.

Secondly, they carry their own harpoon missiles. They send the first sacrifice ahead to block while the others hang back and lob harpoons. With luck, they trigger a harpoon effect and it kills their buddy in close setting off his deadman’s switch. Repeat with each Z-95 in turn.

Backing the whole suicide squad up is Captain Jostero. Each round you can get a Harpoon, or his own Assault Missile, to trigger gives him an extra free attack. That extra three dice attack could potentially spark Harpoons to trigger more frequently but at the very least is an extra free attack. And with Guidance Chips, three dice primary attack and Crack Shot, he can use his missile on a Harpooned opponent and ensure that a Crit gets through to trigger Harpooned.

In the ideal scenario, your sacrificial Z-95 is Harpooned and range one to at least two enemy ships. Jostero fires an Assault Missile, scoring a crit, and severely damaging an enemy ship that is Harpooned. Those two effects trigger to deal two damage to your Z-95 and to another enemy ship. This, in turn, blows up your Z-95, triggering its own Harpoon and Deadman’s for two more damage. This amounts to four unmitigated damage to an enemy ship in one sequence. If it’s still alive, Jostero’s ability triggers and he gets to fire on it.

Variations

If you happen to have five Harpoon Missiles you could switch it out with the Assault Missile on Jostero. That would allow you to take Vectored Thrusters or Pulsed Ray Shield in your currently unused third Modification slot. Instead of a new modification, you could instead change Inertial Dampeners to Scavenger Crane so Jostero can fire his Harpoon multiple times.

Alternatively, you could forgo a missile on Jostero to give him Predator so he can get rerolls on his attacks.